Kiss Kiss Bang Bang – a blast from the past

First of all I am not reviewing two films here. If title is a little misleading then I am sorry about that. I accidentally discovered this film in my Blu-ray library lying there for years so I thought blast from the last is a little fitting introduction. Oh, by the way Alicia Silverstone did look hot in blast from the past.

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang has nothing to do with Chitty Chitty Bang Bang if you are thinking in that direction unless off course in some odd universe flying car becomes a flying b**g then you can attempt some similarities.

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang was a directorial début of Shane Black released in 2005, starring Robert Downey Jr and Val Kilmer. It’s an oddball movie and incidentally did poor at box office but later became a cult phenomenon on home video. I am sure people will have polarized opinion about this film. It’s kind of comedy with a touch of film noir which is odd because film noir is essentially noire. It has most if not all the elements of noir – femme fatale (usually blondes), murder, corruption, twisted plot. References to Raymond Chandler was all over the film – Goodbye my lovely, Lady in the Lake. Being a big fan of film noir and hard-boiled fiction I really liked the film.

The plot is fairly simple with Robert Downey a thief who gets intertwined in Hollywood, asked to learn to be a detective for a film only to start solving the case of a missing girl who happens to be the sister of a highschool sweetheart. Did I say it was a simple plot? Film Noir and Los Angeles has a long history – years before L.A. Confidential or even Chinatown. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is by no means in the same league but it is no slouch either. Robert Downey Jr is an amazing actor even before he was Iron Man. It’s really a pleasure seeing him performing. His rapid-fire repartee is faintly visible in this film which was heavily used in both Iron Man films. Val Kilmer did good justice to his role as a PI as well as providing a much-needed mentor archetype to the film. One complain I have is that the bad guys were not very well fleshed out which typically isn’t the case with film noir.

Shane Black really is a good writer and director and knows how to borrow the correct elements. [It’s paying him off anyway as he is in the running for directing Iron Man 3]. He created an effective Chandleresque universe with a flawed Philip Marlowe (Downey) and a femme fatale (Monaghan).

Overall I’d say the film is a good watch for a lazy sunday afternoon.

Game Theory in Filmmaking / Screenwriting

In The Dark Knight somewhere near the end of the third act there is a sequence where Joker plants explosive inside two passenger ships. One is carrying hardcore criminals and other innocent civilians. He gives choice to captains of both ships to blow the other one otherwise he’ll blow both of them in an hour. This plot device is heavily used in films and is particularly found in films where protagonist often have to make a choice between two bad options.

Ladies and gentlemen welcome to the world of Game Theory. Before we begin I must iterate game theory is not just about video games.

In it’s simplest definition game theory is a branch of science/strategy that studies behavior of people embroiled in a specific situation. It is widely used by law enforcement, politicians, economists to plan their strategies in situations such as negotiation, planning economic policies or devising a plan to win election.

What I want to discuss is not related to any of the things above but how Game Theory has been used effectively in some of the most popular films in the past.

The Dark Knight example above is one of the most popular game termed as Prisoner’s Dilemma. This game was conceived by Merrill Flood and Melvin Dresher but Albert W. Tucker coined the term.

This game involves two or more players (or prisoners) who cannot co-operate with the authority (whatever that may be) because co-operating will not be in best of their interests.

Typical scenario is very often a variant of the following situation:

Two suspects are questioned into separate rooms and offered a similar deal. If one rats out the other, s/he may go free while the other receives a life imprisonment. If neither complies both are given moderate sentences, and if both complies the sentences for both will be severe.

Typical Characteristics

Prisoner’s Dilemma is a commonplace in TV shows and films dealing with law enforcement situations. However this dilemma is not limited to law enforcement based films but can also be found in instances where protagonist is forced to make a tough choice.

More than a strategy game it is a psychological game. In a typical scenario the authority figure feeds on insecurity of the players. The players are often cornered in a no-way-out place. Ratting out the other partner seems like the best and the easiest choice.

Authority figure often acts as god or godlike archetype such as Devil, Faust or Mephistopheles to the players. In The Dark Knight, Joker acted as a true incarnation of Mephistopheles by offering difficult choices to Batman.

Authority figure in all cases need not be an external entity. Very often it is the player’s need which defines the characteristics of the figure. If internal it is usually manifested via any of the great sins, usually greed.

Some films which employed this technique (internal / external) are:

• Treasure of Sierra Madre
• Gamer (Although not a good film by any stretch)
• Dark Knight
• Murder by Numbers
• L.A. Confidential
• Lost TV Series (a poster child for game theory)
• North By Northwest
• Maltese Falcon

Largely unnoticed but film noir employed variants of Prisoner’s Dilemma. Usually authority figure in such kind of films is internal. Lack of trust and greed usually acts as authority figure often crumbling the symbiosis which otherwise would have benefitted both parties.

In Treasure of Sierra Madre it is greed for gold which drives all the players to deceive each other thereby making authority figure internal.

In films such as Gamer (2009), Death Race, Running Man the authority figure is often an external entity such as lawmaker, industrialist or warden. The primal need here is survival which will be compromised if players don’t co-operate. Such kind of films have very generic plot elements rendering the story very predictable. However these films are mainly action films where predictably is often expected.

TV Series Lost made a good use of Prisoner’s Dilemma by forcing the survivors to collaborate if they want to survive against all the monstrosities that exist on the island. The creators realized that if they make authority figure known then the story will lose its charm and most likely will fall in the same trap as any of those prison / futuristic action films. They introduced a unique design principle by making the authority figure mysterious and unpredictable. This introduced another layer of complexity to the principles of Prisoner’s Dilemma.

If you are a writer of screenplay or novel it might be a good idea to understand various types of games in the game theory. It adds a layer of unpredictability to the stories. However if not used properly it might seem clichéd. Discretion is highly advised.

Sun Tzu quotes in art of war, “All war is based on deception.”

Prisoner’s Dilemma is nothing but a deception wrapped in the form of good choice. If you know how to weave that illusion in your plot then you have a winning story.

There are a lot of good resources on the web to understand the intricacies of game theory. Some of the good ones are as follows:

• www.gametheory.net
• Wikipedia

My fascination for the Mindf**ks

Mindfuck [mahynd fuhk]  IPA: /maɪnd fʌk/

–noun

1. A concept or argument which is fraught with contradictions, and is used as a control tool.

2. An idea or concept that shakes one’s previously held beliefs or assumptions about the nature of reality.

3. A cinematic technique that uses misdirection to lead to an ending that is at first glance completely unexpected or contradictory, but is coherent and reasonable given hindsight and careful observation of the clues presented.

In pop culture a Mindfuck is a film which often employs a plot device where the [perception of] reality is distorted to such an extent that sequences can only make sense if viewed in a larger context of the story [usually climactic moments]. (Phew!! I hate long definitions.)

From the beginning of the cinema countless filmmakers have experimented with the perception of reality. There are quite a few films that have been successful in the execution of this concept. Some of the notable films are:

• The Matrix
• Dark City
• Machinist
• Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
• Prestige
• Memento
• Inception (2010)
• Lost (TV Series)
• Carnival of Souls
• Twilight Zone (Original Series)
• Jacob’s Ladder
• Lost Highway
• An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge
• … and many more



I remember watching Jacob’s Ladder years ago and when it finally finished I just thought — Whoa! What did I just see?

I think this kind of audience reaction in itself is a big motivation for a writer or filmmaker to create something as mind bending as Jacob’s Ladder.

Couple of years later I watched Carnival of Souls and An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge and both employed the same plot device. Rightfully Jacob’s Ladder borrowed the idea from these films and applied its own unique design principle.

So the big question is what is fascinating about the perception of reality that both audience and filmmakers are drawn towards it.

Good filmmakers will always push the boundary of the medium. Kubrick, Christopher Nolan, Kurosawa have effectively experimented with the idea of reality. Nolan used this technique in Memento and then again in The Prestige and now in his forthcoming film Inception. Kurosawa in a way gave birth to this technique. Kubrick tried to experiment this in The Shining and again in Eyes Wide Shut (not very effectively).

In psychology two types of perception exists

• Phenomenal (something quantifiable)
• Psychological


Point of View and Unreliable Narrator Device

Filmmakers works in the realm of psychological perception. Psychological perception leads to another important concept in films — point of view. Kurosawa used this technique in Rashomon. It became so popular that a name is given to this concept called Rashomon Effect which basically means subjectivity of perception.

Most of the film using this device often deals with various characters watching the same incident from different frames of reference. Writer often adds another layer of complexity by introducing one or more unreliable narrator. Some examples are: Courage under fire, Hero [2002], Surveillance, Vantage Point.

Famous poet John Godfrey Saxe in the poem The Blind Men and the Elephant says:

It was six men of Hindustan

To learning much inclined,

Who went to see the Elephant

(Though all of them were blind),

That each by observation

Might satisfy his mind.

Bertrand Russell says in The Analysis of Mind

When we perceive any object of a familiar kind, much of what appears subjectively to be immediately given is really derived from past experience.

This presents the very basic paradox of perception:

Your perception of reality will always be limited by openness of your senses.

Freedom of the Soul Motif

Jacob’s Ladder, Carnival of Souls, An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge, Angel Heart employed  a similar motif – liberation of soul. In all these films the protagonist is stuck in a form of purgatory. The liberation of soul demands detachment from worldly connections, memories.

Most of the films mentioned above really stood out for me in terms of execution of the idea. I hope to revisit this concept some other time and probably do a more in-depth study.

As someone who is struggling with writing I can safely say screenwriting is difficult but what is more difficult is to find a hinge for your entire story. If you planning to write a “mindfuck” make sure the hook is fresh and enticing but not intimidating because last thing you want is a studio exec throwing your years of sweat and blood just because he thinks the idea is “too difficult to make sense”.